Perhaps the highest ideal I value is freedom. Perhaps because I am American. Perhaps it’s because I have Irish/Celtic blood surging through my veins. Perhaps it’s because I was the shape of a grape as a child and it terribly bothered me that I could not run a mile under twenty minutes, do a pull-up or a push-up.
So, just like I have done with the pursuit of financial freedom here, let’s start this from the very beginning. Let’s go all the way back and begin the foundations of physical freedom.
Not that far back, but our evolutionary great13,395,000-grandfather is aptly suited to the very first thing to discuss regarding physical freedom – movement.
Movement
I struggled for a moment to figure out what would be the very first thing to be discussed regarding physical freedom, but this appears to be the winner. Just as Tiktaalik crossed the barrier of swimming in the sea to walking on land, it did something that all animals do – it moved.
Plants move, but they mostly veg out and are acted upon by outside forces like animals and wind and rain. Rocks and minerals all simply stay put unless acted upon by an outside force. Water does move, yes, but it likes to pool and do nothing at the lowest point it can reach. Fungus do not move very well as they are quite similar to plants. But we – animals – are all kinetic creatures. We thirst to move – forward, back, up or down. Staying stationary wouldn’t be in insult wrapped up in “couch potato” if it didn’t have some cosmic truth to it. We are made to move.
And yes, I do recognize that it’s possible to be physically limited such as slings, wheelchairs, etc. But that doesn’t stop people who are determined. I have been in seven or more casts for a period of 9 months, had a broken collarbone, muscle tears, and wore slings. I still moved. It shouldn’t stop you.
Go Outside (If You Want)
Without getting overbearing, let’s stop here for now. The first step to physical freedom is movement. Movement of any kind. Do you work at a desk all day? Get up and move around every hour or so if you can. Work on a construction site all day? Perfect! You deserve rest, you have been moving all day. You can start by sneaking movement into your job in some way. Fidget around if you’d like, it’s something I happen to do a lot.
The easiest movement is to get a walk in. Wake up, go outside and walk around. Either five or ten minutes or whatever you can muster. Any movement is better than no movement. If you don’t want to use your legs, do push-ups. Just a bunch, if you feel like it. If you have a pull-up bar, try that. This introduction is nothing more than getting you started to realize that movement of some kind is likely the key to physical freedom.
Next Time
When we reconvene next week, we will discuss exercising. From cardio to lifting to sports. All different types of movement, and all capable of allowing you to feel physically free.
Godspeed,
Dennis